When your mom is visiting, you know what that means! Food for days! My mom has been cooking like crazy ever since she’s been in Montreal! She cooks several dishes everyday aside from all the extras she’s been filling my freezer with! It's actually a struggle to close the freezer door! I am not even kidding nor exaggerating! She wants us to be able to enjoy all her delicious Lebanese dishes that we crave when she’s not in town! Isn’t she adorable?

Mediterranean food is by far my favourite but my mom’s is simply the best! I’ve learned to cook most of the typical Lebanese dishes with her! When I was a teenager, on the weekends, I would call her at work and ask her to tell me how to prepare a specific meal so I could have it ready when she got home. My mom worked six days a week and I wanted her to have a break from cooking at least on Saturdays. So I learned one recipe at a time! And, our home being an open house; we always had people over! Receiving ten to fifteen people for dinner was a common thing in our household. So, preparing appetizing meals and setting a beautiful table became a routine.

Even though Lebanese food is usually pretty healthy, I’ve been switching up some typical recipes and making them even healthier! I’ve shared with you my care and dedication to clean eating and how I try to apply it to 80% of my diet. Well today, I am sharing with you my clean version of a classic Lebanese recipe: Lebanese Quinoa and Turkey Stuffed Zucchini, also known as "Koosa Mahshi"! This dish is usually prepared with claritas (a pale green slightly rounded zucchini) stuffed with rice and ground beef served in a tomato sauce or a goat milk minty sauce. In my adaptation, I used quinoa instead of rice and extra lean ground turkey instead of beef! Quinoa, a seed, offers more fibre, protein and iron than rice. Turkey, especially the breast portion, is leaner and less inflammatory than beef. As for the sauce, I opted for the tomato one but unsalted!

I am always experimenting with recipes and trying to find a cleaner version, especially with Lebanese food! But do not worry, only the ones that make it on the tasty list will make it here :)

Let me know how you like this Lebanese dish with a clean twist!

Enjoy! Bon appétit! Sahtein!

Ingredients:

6 claritas (zucchini); 8-10 cm long

500 mL tomato sauce - I use organic unsalted tomato sauce

500 mL water

Stuffing:

½ cup quinoa

150g extra-lean ground turkey (breast portion preferably)

3 chopped sundried tomatoes

¼ teaspoon 7 spices or all spices

⅓ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅓ teaspoon salt (facultative) -I didn't use any

Instructions:

Cut off the zucchini stalks. Slice off the dried tips at the opposite ends without removing too much flesh.

Carefully hollow out each zucchini, working from the stalk ends with a small apple corer (removing thin fingers of flesh at a time leaving shells about ⅓ inch thick). Discard pulp and seeds.

Wash quinoa in several changes of cold water then drain.

Thoroughly combine the stuffing ingredients.

Fill each zucchini with a ⅙ of the stuffing without packing too tightly, leaving 1 cm free at the top to allow the filling to expand.

Mix in a large saucepan the tomato sauce and water. Add the stuffed zucchini and bring to boil.